…Three women shortlisted for African Banker of the Year category
…Record number of entries submitted in the Debt and Infrastructure Deal of the Year
…Winners to be announced on the sidelines of African Development Bank Annual Meetings in Brazzaville at the end of the month
THUR MAY 07 2026-theGBJournal| African Banker magazine has announced a shortlist of 55 nominees for this year’s edition of its annual African Banker Awards.
The winners will be announced during the official gala ceremony on May 27th in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo during the African Development Bank Annual Meetings.
Now in its 20th year, the African Banker Awards continues to recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector.
As in previous editions, the 2026 edition of the African Banker Awards is organised by African Banker magazine and IC Events under the high patronage of the African Development Bank.
The African Guarantee Fund, a fund created to share risks with commercial banks to encourage them to lend to the SME sector returns as the ceremony’s platinum sponsor while African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), which provides facilities to ensure against country risks and other associated insurance services, is the exclusive cocktail sponsor.
Rounding up support for the 2026 edition of the awards are Afreximbank and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) as gold sponsors.
The shortlist of 55 nominees for the African Banker Awards 2026 emerged from a consideration of more than 250 entries submitted in nine categories by banks spread across the African continent.
In recognition and acknowledgement of the contribution of female bank CEOs across the continent, this year’s shortlist features three female bank executives as contenders for the prestigious “Banker of the Year” award up from two in 2025.
Speaking on the awards, Omar Ben Yedder, Chair of the Awards committee commented on the important role banks are playing in structuring groundbreaking transactions across the continent: “Over the last twenty years, we have seen a significant evolution in the work of banks.
They’re now structuring groundbreaking transactions and using domestic capital and their own balance sheets to finance transformative projects. The Deals categories continue to show innovation to deliver much needed homegrown solutions.”
The nominees for the African Banker Awards 2026 are as follows:
Banker of the Year
Jeremy Awori – Ecobank
Mukwandi Chibesakunda – Zanaco, Zambia
Serge Ekué – West African Development Bank (BOAD)
Dr. James Mwangi – Equity Group, Kenya
Dr. Abdulmajid Nsekela – CRDB Bank, Tanzania
Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya – Guarantee Trust Bank, Nigeria
Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, OON – Fidelity Bank, Nigeria
Bank of the Year
Arab African International Bank
Bank of Africa
Co-Operative Bank of Kenya
Ecobank
Equity Bank, Kenya
Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria
Fintech of the Year
Inclusivity Solutions
Nala
Thoburns Communications
Valu
Ziidi Trader
DFI of the Year
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
African Guarantee Fund (AGF)
Afreximbank
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)
Bank of Industry (BOI)
Credit Corp Nigeria
West African Development Bank (BOAD)
SME Bank of the Year
Co-operative Bank of Kenya
Equity Group, Kenya
GCB Bank, Ghana
Trust Merchant Bank, DRC
Uganda Development Bank
Sustainable Bank of the Year
Access Holdings, Nigeria
Bank of Industry, Nigeria
Commercial International Bank Egypt (CIB)
Co-operative Bank of Kenya
Nedbank, South Africa
Rawbank, DRC
Infrastructure Deal of the Year
Abu Qir Port and new Abu Qir City – National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr
Aksa Enerji – African Finance Corporation (AFC)
Genser Energy – Standard Bank
Craneburg EKSG Motorway 20-Year Infrastructure – Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit), Nigeria
Mota-Engil multi-country multi-sector LoC – Trade and Development Bank
New Bugesera International Airport project in Rwanda – African Trade & Investment Development Investment (ATIDI)
Red Rocket Holdco – Rand Merchant Bank
Deal of the Year – Equity
Africa Capital Alliance Divestment of 16% Stake in Aradel Holdings – CardinalStone Partners
Arise IIP Exit/Equity Raise – African Finance Corporation
AXA/Apis/EIB Sale of Baobab Group Stake to Beltone Holding – Enexus Finance
Diageo Sale of EAB Plc and UDV Stakes to Asahi– Bank of America
IFC $100M Investment – Raxio Group
Deal of the Year – Debt
Project Nexxus – Afreximbank and African Finance Corporation (AFC)
Al Barakah Sukuk Islamic Finance Transaction – CRDB
NBET Transaction – Cardinal Stone Partners
Côte d’Ivoire JPY50bn ESG Samurai Bond – SMBC
Crossboundary – Standard Bank
Drive Finance long term syndicated facility – National Bank of Egypt
Project Oak: Kenya Roads Board – Absa
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